Cambridge Future Museum Voices: Outreach Residential | �鶹ɫ��

An opportunity like no other for students in Year 12 (S5 Scotland/Y13 N.I.) interested in exploring the relationship between people, biodiversity, environmental change, and the natural world.

This innovative programme invites 30 young people to co-curate a public exhibition at the University Museum of Zoology and another Cambridge University collection. The exhibition explores perspectives on the relationship between people and the natural world.

The programme includes a four day residential in Cambridge. All associated activities are fully funded for participants, with thanks to the support of the Isaac Newton Trust.

Applications have now opened for the 2025-26 programme. Please apply through before 5pm on Friday the 6th of February 2026.

What is Cambridge Future Museum Voices?

Cambridge Future Museum Voices is an innovative outreach initiative from �鶹ɫ��, Cambridge, and the University Museum of Zoology for high-achieving students in Year 12 (England/Wales), S5 (Scotland) and Year 13 (Northern Ireland).

Thirty students will take part in a residential in Cambridge in April, during which they co-curate an interdisciplinary exhibition at the Museum of Zoology and the Cambridge University Botanic Garden exploring the connections between people and the natural world across time, animal species, and human societies. Its theme, title, content, and design are chosen by the participants.

In 2023, 19 students took part in the inaugural year of the programme and co-curated the exhibition Tangled Planet at the Museum of Zoology. Read more about Tangled Planet .

The programme grew in 2024 to include 29 participants. Their exhibition, Trodden Earth, opened on 28 September 2024 at the Museum of Zoology and Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. It ran until the end of 2024. Read more about Trodden Earth .

The 2025 programme grew further to include 30 participants, all from groups currently underrepresented at Cambridge. Their exhibition, Fragile Harmony, was developed with partners at the Museum of Zoology and Kettle's Yard and opened in October 2025. Read more about Fragile Harmony

Part 1: Warm-Up Webinars (March)

The programme begins with four online sessions introducing the University of Cambridge, the latest research on innovative approaches to climate and environmental change, and the network of museums and resources a Cambridge student can access:

Introducing the University of Cambridge and Cambridge Future Museum Voices
Nature-based solutions to climate and environmental change
Exploring the Museum of Zoology and storytelling with collections
Introducing Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Part 2: Residential in Cambridge (April)

The cornerstone of the programme is a four day residential at �鶹ɫ��, Cambridge.

In the daytime, students take part in tours, workshops and taster lectures at the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, and other sites around the University before coming together to co-curate their exhibition on the theme of 'Art and Nature'.

Students stay in �鶹ɫ�� undergraduate accommodation and enjoy meals and social activities in College, including a ‘formal hall’ dinner. All accommodation, activities, travel, and meals are fully funded.

Part 3: Exhibition Launches (October)

The programme concludes with a VIP launch event of the new exhibition for students and their guests before the exhibition opens to the public.

Read more about Tangled Planet, the exhibition by the 2023 Cambridge Future Museum Voices cohort, .

Trodden Earth, the exhibition by the 2024 Cambridge Future Museum Voices cohort, ran from September to December at the Museum of Zoology and Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Read more .

Cambridge Future Museum Voices in Numbers

30

Fully-funded places on the programme

4

Nights in Cambridge student accommodation

4

Webinars on university admissions, conservation research, and partner collections

1

Public exhibition co-curated by you

The programme is completely free to participate in. All accommodation, activities and meals for the residential are fully covered. We reimburse reasonable travel expenses to and from Cambridge for the residential in April and the exhibition launch event in the autumn.

Cambridge Future Museum Voices is supported by generous funding from the Widening Participation and Induction Fund. We express our thanks to the Isaac Newton Trust for their support of this initiative.

Essential criteria

Cambridge Future Museum Voices is open to young people who meet all of the following criteria:

You attend a state (non fee-paying) school or college in the UK
You are in Year 12 (England/Wales), S5 (Scotland) or Year 13 (Northern Ireland)
You achieved at least 5 grades 8/9/A* at GCSE (or equivalent, including a majority of A grades in National 5s)
You are on track to achieve at least A*AA at A Level (or equivalent, such as AAA in Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers, or 42 points with 776 at HL in the IB)

If you have not taken any of the qualifications listed above, for instance because you completed some of your schooling overseas or because you have been home educated, please contact Libby (Outreach & Admissions Officer) at schoolsliaison@clare.cam.ac.uk, who will offer further guidance.

A Level/equivalent subject criteria

The programme is aimed at students interested in the climate crisis, environmental change, biodiversity, and the natural world. There are no subject criteria; we welcome students taking any subject combination at A Level/Advanced Highers/IB.

Past participants have gone onto university study in Anthropology, Biology, Geography, History, Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Politics, among various other courses.

Selection for the Programme

If the programme is oversubscribed, we will prioritise students according to:

The Widening Participation criteria listed here
The strength of students' statements of interest, submitted in the application form

"I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. This outreach programme is life changing, and completely changed my perspective on university."

"I enjoyed speaking to so many people who are so knowledgeable and passionate about their fields, seeing parts of museums that normally aren’t accessible, and the experience of the college and city."

"It was so much fun!"